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Contributing to Others, Contributing to Oneself: Perceptions of Generativity and Health in Later Life

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To examine whether perceptions of generativity predict the likelihood of increases in levels of impairment in activities of daily living (ADLs) or of dying over a 10-year period in older adults aged 60-75 from the Study of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS). METHOD: Perceptions of generativity and current generative contributions as well as select sociodemographic, health status, health behavior, and psychosocial factors, assessed at a baseline exam, were examined as predictors of change in ADL disability level or mortality over the 10-year period between the baseline and follow-up waves of the MIDUS Study. RESULTS: Greater levels of generativity and generative contributions at baseline predicted lower odds of experiencing increases in ADL disability (2 or more new domains of impairment; generativity odds ratio [OR] = 0.93 and generative contributions OR = 0.87), or of dying (generativity OR = 0.94 and generative contributions OR = 0.88), over the 10-year follow-up in models adjusted for sociodemographics and baseline health and disability. Associations remained relatively unchanged with the inclusion of different sets of health behavior and psychosocial variables in analytic models. DISCUSSION: Findings indicate that greater perceptions of generativity are associated with more favorable trajectories of physical functioning and longevity over time in older adults.

Source: The Journals of Gerontology Series B

DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbs034

Authors: T. L. Gruenewald, D. H. Liao, T. E. Seeman

Institutions: University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles

Language: English

Topic: Aging and Gerontology Research

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging